With five top ten albums under their belts, a NME stage headline slot at Reading in 2017 and a string of unsuccessful music deals (and subsequent lawsuits), pop-rockers You Me At Six are essentially one of the biggest underdog stories in British music.
Taking over iconic venue Brixton Academy for the first of their three night residency, the quintet have something to prove. The next two evenings may be a celebration of their 2008 album Take Off Your Colours, but tonight is all about showing the critics (and boy do the critics have their opinions), that You Me At Six are making waves unlike anyone else in the industry.
Bursting onto the stage with ‘Fast Forward’, you would never think that front-man Josh Franceschi was battling a terrible illness; one that required a doctor’s visit and a B12 shot hours before the show. In fact, the vocals remain impressive and consistent throughout as he bounds around the stage and commands his legion of dedicated fans.
Franceschi is a rare contradiction; a beautiful mess of cocky “lead singer syndrome” as he refers to it and a humble Surrey-bred boy who can’t quite seem to believe his luck. “The greatest love story I’ve had is with this band and you guys”, he declares, introducing fan favourite song, ‘Take On The World’. What was written as a love letter to his now ex-fiancee, the anthem is treasured by the fans. “This is your song now”, Franceschi echoes as shoulders hold up bodies across the room, fans belting out each word with palpable passion.
It has been over a year since You Me At Six put on a UK-wide tour. Fresh off the release of their sixth studio album, VI, the Weybridge natives power through tracks from each of their LPs. Massive LED screens and an impressive lighting rig bring the stage to life, solidifying You Me At Six as one of the UK’s most interesting bands of the current time. An arena-sized production in a theatre-sized venue can only signify one thing; YMAS aren’t here to play games.
It is during one of the band’s most loved tracks, ‘Save It For The Bedroom’ that the energy begins to overflow. As if an attempt to break some sort of record, Franceschi demands as many crowd surfers as possible, reassuring any participants that the venue’s security team have ‘prepared’ themselves and will “catch each and every one of you”. As you can imagine, Brixton Academy quickly turns into a sea of thrilling chaos.
14 years into their career and finally doing things their way, You Me At Six are at their most confident, polished and self-assured. Not only do they have the talent and poise to get a crowd bursting with excitement, but they also have the lay-it-all-on-the-table sort of authenticity that can, and does, steal hearts across the world. Teasing an appearance at Reading and Leeds 2019, YMAS show no signs of slowing down any time soon, and really, thank goodness for that.
Photo by Thomas Lisle Coe-Brooker
Backstage Goss 